On this week's preparation for season opener at fifth-ranked West Virginia...
"Obviously, game week is here. The guys are excited. They have a little more bounce in their step. It has been a long summer and we have heard about this game for the past four months. We are glad it is finally here and we are excited to get this thing going."

On the anticipation of the season...
"I'm sure these guys are tired of hitting the same colored jersey and are ready to hit a different color jersey. It always seems to be that way. Playing West Virginia and the emphasis put on this game makes it more exciting."

On opening up against a team like West Virginia...
"It's two-fold. You always like to open up against a I-AA school to see where you are, like a preseason game if you will. On the other side of that, we get to open up against one of the best teams in the country and they are deserving of the ranking. We will find out really fast how good we are and where we need to improve."

On status of senior safety Geremy Rodamer...
"We have disciplined him within our football family. Our captains have laid down his discipline. We will just move on from there. He will play Saturday.

On West Virginia's scheme...
"I feel good about our special teams. I think it will be a good match up. The key is who is going to stop the run. If one team is able to establish the running game that also opens up the big-play pass that they can use to take a shot down the field."

On Emmanuel Spann at receiver and on returns...
"He hasn't played in a year, but being on the other sideline, I have seen Emmanuel play and he was impressive (in 2004 at Ohio State)."

On West Virginia's backfield of Patrick White and Steve Slaton...
"They are very talented. They both bring things to the table. They stretch the field vertically and horizontally with their athleticism."

On the match-up between Marshall's speed vs. West Virginia's speed...
"There is definitely match ups in our speed on our defense and their speed on offense. I'll be as brash to say their speed on defense against our speed on offense with our quarterback situation is another. They are going to have to match our speed also.

On impact of the Marshall-West Virginia outcome...
"It would be a great win for us obviously. It's the first game we've played against these guys in a while. It would be a great win, but we have to move on to 11 more games. It would be nice to win for both programs."

On West Virginia's 3-3-5 defense...
"The great thing about going through last season in Conference USA is that we faced the likes of Southern Miss, who is all over the place, and Memphis. So, we've faced some of those type defenses. I think we'll be fine. The issue is if you have four or five days to prepare - that is what makes it hard. We've had two-a-days and all those things to prepare for it. The short week makes it rough. We have had extra time and think that is an advantage.

On Ahmad Bradshaw...
"He practiced yesterday and he said he felt pretty good. I thought he looked good out there.""

On motivating the team for West Virginia...
"This has been pretty easy for me. Some games you have to motivate your guys, but this will be more of a case of settling them down and keeping them on an even keel. If I had my druthers, I would rather settle them down then have to bring them up for a game.

On preparation for a loud crowd this weekend...
"I have never been to Morgantown, but we will start preparing tomorrow. We have done a little preparation for the noise. We have played in some big places and some rowdy places."

On being a West Virginia native playing West Virginia...
"Everyday it is exciting to start thinking about Saturday. People have been asking me about this game for a long time. They asked me if I wanted to play it and I wanted to play it. I didn't think this opportunity would happen, but we are three days away now from it becoming a reality.

On senior leadership...
"You always want your seniors to step up and be vocal leaders. The great thing about this team is that it is young on paper, but you have a lot of guys who played in big games last year and who played in big games as a freshman. As a senior, you don't have to do too much leading with these guys. They are leading themselves and that is really encouraging."

On West Virginia's national attention...
"You have to give those guys a lot of credit. They are the fifth-ranked team in the nation and they deserve to be. It's going to be a great game Saturday for fans of both schools and hopefully we can put up a good contest."

On playing in front of a large crowd...
"I am just ready to play each and every Saturday. We don't get to play in big stadiums too often in Conference USA, but I had a chance to play at Ohio State and Georgia. The crowd is not that big of an issue even though you are playing in a hostile environment. It is a rivalry game. Having that chance to play the fifth-ranked team in the country is exciting enough.